Howling Hog BBQ (at Howling Wolf Farm)

Ribs are my weakest link in the preparation I'm making for the Harpoon Championships of BBQ later this month.

Teamate Old Bull and I have been debating the merits of spice rubbed ribs vs. naked or at least "less" spice-rubbed ribs.

The Old Bull has always had me beat in the rib department, but I know for sure that traditional BBQ says you put a rub on your ribs and serve them either dry or wet depending on where in the US you're located.

So, last weekend I put a rack of ribs to a test. I split a whole rack into 5 sections and did some experiementing. Here's what was on each test rack:

1) Rubbed with my Triple Chili rub and basted with a dark sauce during the last hour.

2) Rubbed with my Pastrami-style rub (a suggestion made by the Old Bull)

3)Rubbed with my Pastrami-Style rub and basted with a horseradish mustard during the last hour.

4)Rubbed with my East Valley Steak Seasoning

5)Left Naked and then Sauced at the end

I had my boy help me taste-test them, because he and I are the only two in our household who really savvy ribs. The results? We both thought the ribs cooked naked with sauce won the day. So, I think we're going to do our ribs naked, cooked with cherry, and then we'll have to make a killer mild BBQ sauce to go with them. The Old Bull's method is definately the best.

Mule